Wake jail widens immigration checks

RALEIGH – Now everyone booked into the Wake County jail will have their immigration history and citizenship checked.

Wake County jailers will have access to a fingerprint-based database that includes data about visa applications, previous deportations and residency applications — part of a pilot program starting today by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The purpose, says Wake Sheriff Donnie Harrison, is to find out whether someone arrested is in the country illegally. Fingerprint records will be used in addition to the resources the sheriff’s detention officers already have to check inmates’ immigration status. The Wake Sheriff’s Office participates in the 287(g) program, named for a section of a federal law that allows local jailers to check the immigration status of inmates and begin deportation proceedings.

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